Livewire wing Kurt-Lee Arendse rejoins the South African starting line-up in a major reshuffle for the Rugby Championship test against Argentina on Saturday, with 10 changes being made. Eben Etzebeth will start on the bench, and Siya Kolisi is absent from the match-day squad.
Arendse missed the previous match, a narrow 18-12 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town, which left the unbeaten Springboks just one win away from their fifth Rugby Championship title, their first since 2019.
If Etzebeth takes the field from the bench, he will match Victor Matfield’s record of 127 test caps for South Africa, as coach Rassie Erasmus reverts to a 6-2 forward and back split for the bench.
The back three includes fullback Aphelele Fassi and wing Makazole Mapimpi alongside Arendse, while Lukhanyo Am steps into an unfamiliar inside center position to pair with Jesse Kriel in the midfield. Handre Pollard remains at flyhalf, working alongside number nine Cobus Reinach.
Malcolm Marx starts as hooker, flanked by props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit, with captain Salmaan Moerat and Ruan Nortje in the second row. Jasper Wiese retains his position at number eight, joined by flankers Marco van Staden and Ben-Jason Dixon at the back of the scrum.
Erasmus emphasized the team’s long-term vision, stating, “We have a bigger picture in mind, which is to build squad depth with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. The only way we can do that is to expose the younger players to tough opposition under difficult circumstances, and so far, all of them have risen to that challenge. We’re excited about this squad and to see what the younger players can do in pretty tough playing conditions with such a passionate support base in Argentina.”
Additionally, Erasmus opted to rest seven players for this match, including Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Frans Malherbe, and Bongi Mbonambi.
South Africa’s starting team for the match is:
15-Aphelele Fassi, 14-Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13-Jesse Kriel, 12-Lukhanyo Am, 11-Makazole Mapimpi, 10-Handre Pollard, 9-Cobus Reinach, 8-Jasper Wiese, 7-Ben-Jason Dixon, 6-Marco van Staden, 5-Ruan Nortje, 4-Salmaan Moerat, 3-Thomas du Toit, 2-Malcolm Marx, 1-Ox Nche.
The replacements are: 16-Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17-Gerhard Steenekamp, 18-Vincent Koch, 19-Eben Etzebeth, 20-Elrigh Louw, 21-Kwagga Smith, 22-Jaden Hendrikse, 23-Manie Libbok.